Just What I Needed
by csivegasrocks
Summary: An intimate story of mystery, romance, intrigue, and a little sweet smut of course! A Sara and Grissom romance. Takes place pre- Living Doll/Dead Doll.
1. Chapter 1

Just What I Needed

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

In response to the CSIForeveronline April challenge. A story about Grissom and Sara and an Easter Egg! (But not the kind you eat!) Takes place pre-Living Doll/Dead Doll. I hope you enjoy!

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He really should have known better.

All she had wanted for her birthday was an MP3 player that she could hook up to the radio in the Benz so she could listen to her music while they were driving the old car. Yes, it had a tape deck, but who had tapes any more? Maybe dinosaurs like him, but not someone young and dialed in.

It wasn't so bad. Not really. Except the music was awful. She had a love of 70s music that made him cringe. But that was nothing compared to the modern music. Rap? It was torture. Luckily she only listened to that when he was not in the car. Hell, if getting an MP3 Player meant he would never be blasted by rap music after she forgot to change it back to his station after she had driven his car, it would be fine.

He really wanted to buy her a ring. But he wasn't sure how she'd react. She'd made it clear in previous conversations that she wasn't a big fan of marriage. He'd guessed it was because of her past. Her parents hadn't exactly been great role models. Her previous relationships, from what he had learned, had also left a bad taste in her mouth.

But she had never been in love like this before. That's what she had said to him over and over again. She trusted him. Not sure why, he thought, I've been less than the best boyfriend. But his love was undeniable. Any previous relationship had paled by comparison to the flame that burned in his heart for her. All he really ever wanted was for her to be happy. Because just being near her made him happier, more content, more satisfied than he had ever been in all his life.

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"This is so cool!" she said, smiling broadly, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm glad you like it."

She began singing along with the music "Do ya do ya want my love?" ELO was one of her favorites. She always complained that she had not gotten to see them when they were touring.

"How about keeping your mind on the road?" he asked as she drove and sang. "I think there may be a law against singing while driving."

She looked at him and pouted.

"Just kidding," he said, "I love your singing."

"No," she laughed, "No one would love my singing, but thanks for putting up with it."

Stopped at a light, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "This is a great present!" she said, "But you spent way too much."

"No, dear," he answered, "The smile on your face when you opened it, when you were singing along just then – before you knew I was watching you – is worth every penny."

She chuckled.

"Who are you and what have you done with Gil Grissom?" she asked.

"He's right here," Grissom replied, "Wishing I could get a little closer to you right now."

"Just wait!" she laughed, "We are almost there and we can spend the entire weekend close and happy."

"Just the two of us," he added, anticipating the weekend away from the crime lab and their nosy friends.

The last several days had been difficult. Their good friend, Jim Brass, had been shot by a suspect and had hung on to life by a thread for several days. The surgeon had been a miracle worker and Jim had made a full recovery. The two cases that had been pending were solved, Jim's daughter Ellie was sent back to LA, and life began to return to normal.

They had decided, spur of the moment, to take a weekend away. It was challenging because no one but Jim Brass and Doc Robbins knew about the relationship.

Sara said she was going to visit a friend in California who had just had a baby. Grissom said he was going to do some work on an entomology project.

Brass had a contact number, and promised to call them if they were needed. Catherine would be fine for three days without them. A worrier by nature, Grissom was always certain that the lab would fall apart if he wasn't there. Sara had assured him that they would stay close enough to be able to get back quickly if an emergency arose.

So now, off on an adventure to a little lodge at Mount Zion. They had never been there, but were excited about the visit. It was a three-hour drive, but it gave them time to reconnect and decompress from the last two weeks. They needed it.

A small cabin at Zion Lodge had been reserved under his name. It was more likely that he could say he had been working on entomology in the park if questioned. He told her it was a room, but he had splurged on the cabin. He had big plans and wanted something special.

And now, with less than an hour to go, the couple could feel the tension beginning to leave their bodies.

Hiking, dining in quiet restaurants, antiquing, walks under the moonlight were all on the agenda. All the things they couldn't do while in Las Vegas. (It would be career suicide for both of them if they got caught).

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A/N I hope I got you curious! I wonder what is going to happen? Something intriguing I'm sure!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

In response to the CSIForeveronline April challenge.

Thanks so much for your kind words! I hope you will continue to enjoy!

Did I mention? It's going to get a little bit hot in here!

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Catherine Willows was a smart cookie. But she had not yet learned her lesson about gossip. For that reason, many people did not share their personal stories with her.

Catherine was in the middle of finishing one of the many files left on Grissom's desk as busy-work for her to do while he was away.

As Nick and Greg walked down the hallway, past Grissom's office, she heard the sound of juicy gossip. She couldn't resist.

She stood up and entered the hallway, placing herself within earshot of the men and listened.

"No way," Nick said, sounding like he could not believe what he had just heard. He shook his head.

They stepped in to the break room to grab a coffee.

As if on cue, Warrick joined them and immediately picked up on the conversation.

"What are you two girls talking about now?" he asked.

"Well," Greg began, "Grissom and Sara are both off at the same time and Nick was saying…"

"Hold on a second there bro…" Nick interrupted, "You were the one who was gossiping!"

Warrick cleared his throat, indicating that they had been joined by another person. He loved Catherine dearly, but he also knew that her hearing them gossiping about the boss was deadly for them. Grissom was a very private man and whenever he had heard about office gossip, he always made sure that CSI had dumpster duty for an extended time.

"Um, Cat…" Warrick stuttered, trying to think of a way to cover this faux pas, "We were um just talking about Hodges and … Mandy …" he let the sentence trail away, realizing he was so busted.

"No, you weren't either," Catherine said, fully entering the break room and observing the three CSIs looking sheepish at being caught in the act.

"Now Catherine, " Nick answered, "You know for a fact that we would not be talking about Grissom and Sara being off at the same time… Ow man that hurt."

Warrick's foot had hit Nick in the shin.

"Dang it man," Nick said, "We were already busted, be a man and fess up!"

With that, the CSIs all heard their pagers go off.

"Saved by the beep!" Greg said, happily making a quick exit to the locker room to get a jacket.

"I'll go get the truck!" Nick said, almost skipping out of the room, happy to be able to make a quick exit before being grilled by Ms. Willows. He knew Warrick had a way of handling the red-head that would absolve them from any guilt.

At least he hoped so!

Warrick, about to make his own excuse for leaving, was unable to avoid Catherine's glare.

She looked at him, checked around to make sure no one was nearby, and said, "What do you know that you haven't told me?"

Warrick smiled, his green eyes twinkling, "Nothing, it's just Greg talking out of his ass again. Every time Grissom and Sara have the same night off, he's convinced they are off having sex somewhere."

"They could be, you know," Catherine said after a moment to absorb the information.

"Nah," Warrick answered, "You know Grissom, he's too worried about his career. No, he's off checking out the bugs, I'm sure of it."

"Do you think people talk about us?" Catherine asked him, flashing him a sly smile.

"I hope they do!" Warrick answered, "Actually, I believe my ears are burning right now!"

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"Party of one, Dr. Grissom?" the young desk clerk asked.

"No, actually two," Grissom answered, checking the nametag of the young woman. Sara had told him he needed to use people's names more, so he had tried to get into the habit of looking at tags and saying names.

"Kim," he said, awkwardly acknowledging her. "Um, Kim, can I please get a bottle of a nice red wine sent to my room?"

"Sure thing, Dr. Grissom," Kim answered cheerfully, "and here are your two keys. I'll call room service for you right now."

He quickly went back to the car and handed Sara her key.

Sara was comfortably waiting for his return, enjoying the scenery and the cool evening air.

"This is beautiful Gil," she said quietly, "Absolutely breathtaking!" She had been admiring the huge wooden hotel building, set back into a vibrant grove of oversized trees. In the trees were small lights that made the whole front of the hotel look like it was shimmering in twilight.

"Yes," he answered, "This is a place I like to go to get away from the bright lights of Vegas. If only they had a roller coaster!"

Sara laughed, "I'm glad they don't, but I'm sure we can find other things to do to amuse ourselves!"

With that temptation, he forgot everything else. He quickly closed the car door and drove to their cabin. Without even unloading the car, he led her to the cabin door, and once inside, began kissing her with such unbridled passion that she could barely breathe.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to run her fingers through his curly hair. While she detested her own curls, she absolutely loved his.

He pulled her jacket off her shoulders and, without breaking the kiss, managed to get his own jacket off.

"Gil," she said, breaking away from his embrace, "Shower, Four hours in the car. I need to shower."

He shook his head.

"OK, what if I let you come with me?"

This time he nodded.

Within two minutes, they had stripped down to nothing and had entered the oversized shower.

Grissom stood, taking a deep breath and assessing the situation. Here he was, a man who had never ventured to have sex outside of the bedroom, or even out of bed for that matter, standing naked and erect beside a beautiful young woman. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, and, to be honest, he was often surprise what his body could do when it was beside her.

Grabbing the luxurious lavender soap, Sara began to wash her body. She was amazing, he thought, even after a long day at a crime scene, she always smelled good to him. She would tell him to leave her alone until she was clean, often precipitating a visit to the shower at the lab because she knew once they got to one of their homes, there would be no time for showering.

He gently took the soap from her hands and began to take over where she had left off. He took the soap and ran it under the water, then gently ran the bar down the nape of her neck, stopping just above her soft breasts. He rubbed the soap over her nipples and, watching them stand erect, used his thumb and forefinger to ensure both were completely clean. He then rubbed her flat stomach and spun her around to access her back. He gently ran the soap up and down her back, teasing her butt with the sweet smelling bar. She leaned forward, comfortably allowing him access to her entire body. He used that moment to take the soap to her very private curls and began to rub them, gently at first, deeper and a little more rapidly as she began to respond to the intimate touch, and then, just as she was beginning to think she would have to stop him, he moved the soap back to the water and handed it to her.

She lovingly took the softly scented soap and rubbed it across his chest. He was well built for someone who looked rather stocky in his clothing. She had asked him a million times to wear clothes that fit his build better, but he declined, saying he was comfortable. That was ok with her, she decided, it would be better to keep his physique a secret anyhow. Once his chest was suitably cleansed of the sweat from driving, she gently rubbed and massaged his back, and then moved to his penis.

He was already fully erect at this point, however her hands and the warm, lathery soap bar only made him even more excited. She used the soap to wash him from the tip to the balls. Every inch of him wanted her, to take her right then and there, without finishing this ritual, without any hesitation. He grabbed the soap from her hands and tossed it to the sink. He then grabbed her around the waist and lifted her to the angle he needed to enter her.

As he entered her, he watched her. He loved to see her reaction - her head back, water pouring down her neck and sides, her face totally at ease. Pushed up against a wall, warm water pulsing down their bodies, Grissom took a nipple in his lips and began to suck and nip, causing her to begin to shudder with excitement. He knew this was not going to take long for either of them. He pushed harder into her, beginning the rhythm of lovemaking. Slowly, sweetly, he began to rub in and out, up and down, over and over again until neither could stand to wait any longer.

"Sara," he whispered hoarsely, "I'm … I … " he couldn't keep his thoughts together.

"Go," she replied, happily finishing his thought for him, "I'm ready when you are!"

And with that, he released, causing them to both explode into an orgasm that shook the walls of the cabin. Still in each other's arms, Sara stood back on her feet and looked up at Grissom. He was beautiful. Especially after sex. His wet hair was shining, his face was totally relaxed, and he was happy.

She made him happy.

Without a word, she grabbed a towel and, turning off the water, wrapped him with it. She leaned out of the shower stall to grab the second towel for herself when she heard a knock at the door.

"Well," she said smiling at him, "I think we may have a noise complaint!"

He looked puzzled.

"Gil," she laughed, "there's someone at the door. Are you expecting company?"

He suddenly remembered he had ordered a bottle of wine. "No, dear," he answered, "It's room service with a little treat."

He took a second to compose himself and put on a robe from the closet. He went to the door and got the bottle and glasses from the steward, thankful he had thought to grab tip money from his pants that had been strewn on the bathroom floor.

When he returned to the bedroom, he found his beauty sitting on the bed, looking at the local guidebooks.

He poured them each a glass of the cabernet, and snuggled up beside her on the bed.

"Well," he asked, "What would you like to do?"

"Some more of that would be good," she answered.

He smiled.

She was happy and that was all that mattered to him.

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A/N FYI I intend to update this story two to three times a week for about 20 chapters, unless the muse takes me elsewhere! :o) Now go take a shower!


	3. Chapter 3

Just What I Needed

Chapter 3

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_Thank you for all of your continued support and kind words. :o)_

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It was morning before they knew it.

They were both accustomed to working the night shift, so trying to change their sleep schedule in order to accommodate the activities of the day was challenging.

Before the sun rose, they were out of the room and onto the trails. They had stopped by the gift shop (conveniently open 24 hours a day) for some pre-wrapped muffins and plastic bottles of orange juice. Neatly tucked in to Sara's backpack, along with the GPS, a bug specimen jar (or two, or three) a blanket, a camera and not much else, they were off to watch the sun rise over the canyon.

Walking the trail, Grissom grabbed and held Sara's hand tightly. Walking in Vegas, they were usually unable to display their affection publically.

Too many eyes.

Because Sara and Grissom worked together, and because Grissom was her immediate supervisor, they were unable to share their happiness with their friends. Especially since most of their friends worked with them.

Grissom hated breaking rules. But he had slowly come to understand that his relationship with Sara took precedence over everything else. And if it meant he would have to give up his position, he would gladly to it. He had waited far too long to accept his feelings for the beautiful woman. She had been far too patient to deny her what she so deserved.

But here they could be the loving couple that they wanted to be. No one turned their heads to look. Well maybe some people – the ones who noticed the significant age difference – but for the most part, they were just another couple on a romantic rendezvous.

They walked at a comfortable pace, talking about everything and nothing. Sara told Grissom about the seminar she wanted to attend and Grissom pointed out the bugs that he saw on the path and in nearby bushes.

When they reached the perfect spot, they laid out the blanket and stretched out. Sara leaned herself up against Gil, trying to capture some of the warmth of his body. It didn't take her long to get comfortable in his arms.

They watched the sun rise and enjoyed their breakfast.

"Do you want to go in to town?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, I really want to go look at the antique stores and see if we can find a desk that I can put in the condo so I can read and work while I'm there."

He took a deep breath and dove into the deep water.

"Maybe we should just move in together?" he asked.

"Grissom," she answered, a huge grin crossing her face, "How in the world would we pull that off?"

"We are two fairly intelligent people," he answered, "I'm sure we can figure something out!"

She leaned over and kissed him. It was a sweet, gentle kiss that answered his question better than any words she could ever say.

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The walk back had been uneventful. The sky was crystal clear and the temperature was just right for hiking.

Once back to the resort, they changed into jeans and then drove downtown.

The town was small, only a few businesses on the small street.

The antique store was the largest building on the block. Sara had heard that they often had turn of the century furniture and she had really wanted a roll top desk. Not one of those fancy new ones, but a traditional desk with the cubby holes and the real rolling top.

They parked out front and walked in to the store.

The bell over the threshold rang to announce their arrival.

"Why hello folks!" the lady behind the counter said cheerfully, "Welcome to Tanners. Let me know if you need anything!"

"Thanks," Sara replied, "I'm actually looking for a desk."

"Well, young lady," the shop owner replied, "You are in luck because we just got a new shipment in from an estate sale and there is a lovely desk in that lot."

"Great," Sara replied, "Can I see it?"

"Sure thing," the lady answered, "And by the way, my name is Lisa Tanner, this is my shop."

"Sara," Sara answered, and pointing at her boyfriend, "This is Gil."

"Well, its nice to meet you Sara and Gil," Lisa shook their hands enthusiastically, "Follow me and I'll show you the desk."

They followed Lisa to the back of the store and past a bed sheet curtain that had been hung up between the store and the warehouse portions of the building. The warehouse was neatly organized and the desk was easy to see.

Sara immediately fell in love with it. She loved the dark wood, the handcrafted drawers, the roll top and all of the little cubby holes that were built in to the frame of the desk. It was clearly sturdy and well made.

"How much is it?" Sara asked, trying hard not to let her excitement show in fear that she would drive up the price.

"I'm not sure, my husband usually handles the furniture and I handle the jewelry!" Lisa said, using her hand to indicate a large glass showcase littered with jewelry that clearly had not yet been sorted. "Let me go check with the Major and I'll get him to give you a good price."

While Lisa was gone, Grissom began to look at the jewelry in the case. His mother loved unique pieces, causing him to develop a good eye for fine jewelry.

One piece stood out.

A silver necklace with a large piece of turquoise inset in an ornate silver frame caught his eye.

Sitting among the ornate broaches and rings, it didn't seem to fit. But it was beautiful. Unusual. Creative. Clearly Native American crafted, it seemed to call out to him. Buy me.

Lisa returned to the room with the phone in her hand.

"Yes, the roll top that came in yesterday."

Sara looked at Grissom, hoping for the best.

"Oh, ok, I'll let them know," Lisa clicked off the line with her husband and smiled. "Well, I've got good news and bad news."

"Well, I'm a bad news first kinda girl," Sara answered, "That way its out of the way!"

"It hasn't been checked out yet, so he can't guarantee anything in terms of the validity of the age or the workmanship," Lisa advised. "However, it did come from the Faisano estate, so I'm pretty sure it's top of the line."

"That doesn't sound too bad!" Sara said, starting to get a little excited. "Who is Faisano?"

"Vinnie Faisano, he's a guy who relocated here in one of the biggest houses in the county. They say he was in the mob, but I don't know. Anyhow, he died recently and his daughter Stephanie sold the contents of the house that she didn't want."

"I wonder why his daughter wouldn't want all this lovely furniture?" Sara asked.

"She's a big-time attorney in New York or Chicago or somewhere, so she didn't want to move it. Story is that they were estranged over the mother's death, but again, that's just rumors."

"Well, how much do you want for the desk?" Grissom asked.

"He's willing to sell it for $2500, and since I assume you two don't live around here, you would have to pay for shipping which could be a little bit more."

Sara's smile dropped. She hadn't planned to spend so much.

Grissom walked over to the desk and ran his hands over the wood. He noticed the ornate carving and the hand cut dove tail joints in the drawers.

At that moment, Sara's phone rang.

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry, I forgot to turn it off!" she looked down at the display and saw it was Catherine. She excused herself to take the call.

Grissom turned to Lisa and stuck out his hand. "It's a sale," he said, "And I would also like the turquoise necklace and the emerald broach that are in the showcase over there. Quietly though, please, I don't want her to know about those."

Lisa gave him a wink and said "Of course, honey, I can take care of that for you! But you have to understand that I haven't had the jewelry checked yet. I mean I can look at them and value them, but as far as check the prongs, latches and pins, stuff like that, I usually go to a professional with the good stuff."

"I understand," Grissom answered, "My mother has a good jeweler in the city, so I will take both pieces there to be checked."

He heard Sara coming back into the room.

"It was the lab," she said, "Apparently I forgot to sign something. Cath wanted to fax it to me but I told her there was no fax machine here."

"Oh honey," Lisa said, "You can use my fax machine here if you'd like."

Sara smiled at the kind offer, "No thank you Lisa, I don't ever forget to sign anything and my friends are being nosy."

Lisa laughed. "I understand. When the Major and I began dating, all of my friends were dying to find out about us because, well, its just that there is a pretty significant age difference," she winked at Grissom, "And since we were in the same unit, well, let's just say it got interesting!"

They shared a comfortable laugh.

"Ok well enough about me," Lisa said, "Let me get the paperwork together for you. Would you like a drink while you are waiting?"

"No, thank you," Grissom answered, "We will just go browse the front of the store."

"Give me about 10 minutes," Lisa said, showing them out of the back.

"Papers?" Sara asked.

"Yes, dear," Grissom answered, "They will ship the desk to Vegas for you."

"But Grissom," Sara said, "I can't afford that much for a desk!"

"You can't," he answered, "But I can. And if it makes you happy, that's all that matters."

"Gil," she protested, "That's just too much money!'

"Sara," he countered, "I'm not worried about money. Honestly, I know we never talked about this, but between the job, the book royalties and speaking fees, I'm in a solid position financially. We really don't have to worry about money."

"We?" she said, stunned by this statement.

"We." He answered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and gently kissing her on the top of her head. "You and me. Us."

"But Grissom…" she said, confused by his admission and stunned by the total honesty. "I can't…"

"You can, dear," he said, "And you will. I insist. You make me happy for the first time in my life. I haven't had a lot to spend money on so it's about time to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. I want us to both have a sense of security and comfort. I want to make you as happy as you make me. "

"Thank you," she said, getting ready to tell him that he was sweet but that would not be dependant upon a man for her future, would never be in the same circumstances as her mother and father, but she was interrupted by Lisa's voice calling to tell them that the forms were ready.

"Can we talk more later?" she asked Grissom.

"We can talk," he answered, "But you won't change my mind."

"I love you Gil, but we'll see about that."

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A/N Hmmmm…. I wonder where this is going?


	4. Chapter 4

Just What I Needed

Chapter 4

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_Thank you for all of your continued support and kind words. :o)_

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Stephanie Faisano was a typical Italian beauty. She was tall, slim, with very long legs and long brown hair. She usually wore the hair back in a ponytail while at work to increase her professional power.

She enjoyed being an attorney. She loved being at the head of the family business. She hated stupid people.

The person she had on her phone right now was a stupid person.

"Look," she said angrily, "Just tell me where the jewelry went."

Stephanie's secretary Giada could hear the conversation from the other room. She knew well enough not to interrupt when Stephanie was in lawyer form.

"It was NOT to be sold," Stephanie yelled, "It is personal property. Get it back!"

Clearly the answer given was not the one that Stephanie wanted to hear.

"I will be there in two days and will begin filing lawsuits against you and all of your people. You'd better find that jewelry and get it back to me PRONTO!" she yelled as she slammed the receiver down on the desk.

"Giada!" she yelled.

"Yes Stephanie," Giada answered promptly.

"Get me a flight to Nevada. I'll leave day after tomorrow when this case wraps up. Hotel and car."

"Yes ma'am," Giada answered, spinning quickly and returning to her desk.

Giada loved working for Stephanie. She paid well, she was out of the office a lot of the time, and she appreciated her approach to work.

She also knew that working for the Faisano family afforded a certain amount of protection for herself and her family.

"Phil too?" Giada asked as she was dialing the travel agent.

"Yes," Stephanie said, "Phil too."

Giada confirmed the travel info and printed it for Stephanie.

"Thanks," Stephanie told her, "I appreciate you."

"No problem."

"Now I need you to do some investigating for me, quietly, without telling Tony ok?"

"You got it."

"Some of my family's jewelry got sold with the rest of the estate. I need to find out who bought it."

"Got it."

Stephanie grabbed her briefcase and headed out the door.

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As the sun was setting, Grissom and Sara were preparing to go out for a nice dinner. They did not get to dine out often, especially not at dinner-time, so this was going to be a special evening for both of them.

Grissom, knowing how much Sara liked to see him in a grey shirt had decided to go with black dress slacks and a slate gray shirt. He did not choose to wear a tie this evening, trying to keep a fairly casual appearance.

Sara also had gone with the black slacks, she really wasn't much of a dress or skirt girl, with a simple teal blouse and printed scarf wrapped around her neck.

Grissom stepped out of the bathroom and gave a long whistle.

"I'm going to be with the most beautiful woman in the restaurant," he commented, smiling from ear to ear.

Sara, never having been confident about her looks, just smiled. She was often taken aback by how sweet Grissom could be when they were away from the office. Really, at work he was more like a computer than a person. He seldom gave compliments and often became so wrapped up in a case that he forgot to go home at the end of the day.

But she knew him better than most. She had met him under different circumstances, and she could wait for their private time to have his affection.

She slipped on her black flat shoes. They were shiny and dressy, yet comfortable and functional.

"You're not so bad yourself!" she answered with a huge smile, "But if we don't get going now, Dr Grissom, we will never keep our reservation!"

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"Dinner is overrated," he said, unwrapping her scarf and kissing her neck.

"Gil," she said, "I want to go out for dinner, but I promise you some dessert later!"

"If you promise," he answered, his eyes sparkling, "I will follow you anywhere."

"I promise," she answered, wrapping her scarf back around her neck.

He grabbed her shawl, wrapped it around her shoulders and opened the door for her to leave the room. Without her knowledge, he grabbed a small package and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

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The night was still and the Major and his wife were in the back of the store cataloging the jewelry they had acquired.

Neither heard the sound of the man coming up behind them.

The Major did not see or feel anything. The bullet completely obliterated his skull and the brain matter spattered the jewelry. Fortunately, there was only a few seconds between the first and second shots. Within seconds, both lay on the ground.

The jewelry was gathered in to a pillowcase and carried out the door of the shop.

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Dinner was set for the rustic restaurant on the outskirts of the property. The tables were set with white linens and beautiful silverware.

Sara's dinner was a beautiful mushroom risotto served with fresh baked bread and a luscious garden salad. Grissom had skipped the steak in deference to Sara's growing vegetarianism, and had opted for shrimp scampi.

They agreed that the dinner was exceptional.

They sat at the table waiting for their dessert and coffee to be delivered when the sound of a siren wailing through the otherwise quiet night.

"Are you fighting the urge to check your phone?" she asked.

He smiled. "Not with all the other things on my mind right now!" he replied.

"Like what?" she answered, knowing full well that his mind had gone to the gutter.

"Like this…" he said, sliding a small package across the table to her.

"Gilbert!" she exclaimed, "What have you done?"

"It's a treat for you," he explained.

"You really shouldn't have," she said, "But I'm glad you did."

She opened the package slowly, enjoying the anticipation.

The silver and turquoise necklace just about took her breath away. It was unique and beautiful. She loved silver and unique pieces, and this was both.

She took it out of the package and indicated that he should put it on her. He stood up, readjusting the pants that had previously not been so tight, and placed the necklace around her neck.

She leaned back to show him and knew by his smile that it looked right.

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "It is perfect on you," he said.

The waiter had come up behind them and was placing the coffee and tiramisu on the table. Grissom returned to his seat and began to enjoy his scrumptious dessert.

Another siren wailed as the police cars travelled quickly from the station to their destination in the distance.

"Wow," she said, "That is a multiple roll out, I sure hope everything is ok."

"Me too," he answered, taking the last bite of the pastry, "Me too."

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The promised after dinner activities will be continued in the next chapter. Sweet smut is awfully good for dessert!


	5. Chapter 5

Just What I Needed

Chapter 5

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_So sorry for the delay … sometimes real life has to come first. But on with the story! I hope you enjoy._

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He sat in the darkest corner at a table, chain smoking Marlboro Reds and pounding back the red wine.

Tony Faisano was the little brother from hell. Steph had always referred to him as "Devil's Spawn" or "Rosemary's Baby" because of his mean streak and criminal tendencies. She was five years older than he; taller, smarter, wittier, and just generally much more likeable. He hated her. With a passion!

Their parents had always favored Steph. Heck, who wouldn't? But it never sat well with him that she always got the lion's share of attention, love, and money. Especially the money.

When their father died, the only substantial item left to him was Leone's Restaurant. It was enough to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life but not enough to give him the life he desperately wanted. The one Stephanie was living.

But there was one card left to be played. The truth. If he could just find where his old man kept the proof, he would finally be able to one-up his arrogant, condescending sister and earn the inheritance he felt had been denied to him.

Payback time was approaching and it was going to feel great!

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The night was still young when dinner was done. It was hard to get on a "normal" schedule after working the night shift for so long. So even though they had gotten up quite early, neither was particularly tired.

They returned to the room, whispering and sharing private jokes.

Grissom grabbed Sara around the waist and began to waltz her around the spacious room.

"Gilbert," she laughed, "I didn't know you could dance!"

"I am the only son of a single mother," he answered, "There is much about me that you may not know!"

He swung her around and, reaching an arm under her, dipped her to almost touch the floor.

As she leaned back, her eye caught the story running on the tv that she had turned on out of habit. The cameras were trained on what appeared to be the antique store they had visited. The red and blue lights were mesmerizing.

"Gil," she said, as she righted herself, "Isn't that the Tanners' shop?"

"Yes," he answered, a little concerned for the well-being of the nice lady who had been so kind to them.

Sara grabbed the remote control and raised the volume to hear what had happened.

"Police are investigating this violent attack and vow to not rest until this is solved. Meanwhile, people in the community are heartbroken. The couple had been doing business at this location for over 10 years and were well-respected within the community. They will be missed. Now back to you Terri."

Sara sat down on the bed, as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She had liked Lisa immediately and felt sickened to know she had met a violent end. Hell, she saw people on their worst day each and every day, but it was harder when it was someone you knew.

"Grissom," she said softly, "Can it be true?"

"It seems that way," he answered her, "Its hard to fathom. They seemed to be nice people."

He sat beside her and brushed away the tear that had run down her cheek. He was always amazed at how she could quickly develop empathy with people.

"We'll go by the police station tomorrow and see if we can be of any help to the investigation, but for now, I think we should turn in."

"Will you read to me Gil?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered gently, "Shakespeare?"

"Yes please."

As they prepared for bed, he watched her take off her clothing and change into her nightgown. She usually wore sweats to bed, but had packed for a weekend of romance. The teddy he had bought for her clung to her curves like it was made for her. He loved her. He loved everything about her.

She snuggled in to the oversized bed next to him after she had brushed her teeth and hair. She smelled like lavender – one of his favorite scents. He put an arm around her and did his best to make the sadness leave.

"I'm beginning to understand how short life can be Sara," he said gently, "And I don't want to miss another minute with you."

She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Sara," he continued, "I know this is perhaps not the right time, but I'm more sure now than I have ever been. I want you to move in with me."

"Gil," she stuttered, "I'm…just…its…"

"I know," he reassured her, "You are not ready to get married yet, and I understand, but let's do this and we can try it out. Believe me, once you see how good our life will be together, you will be just as ready as I am."

"I love you Gil," she said quietly, "Please read to me. We can talk more tomorrow."

And he began to read her favorite, from the top, Romeo and Juliet, as she drifted off into a troubled sleep.

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The dreams followed her all night.

The sound of yelling coming from the kitchen downstairs and of her mother being hit and then hitting her father.

"I hate you!" she heard from the room next door to hers. Even with the radio on and the pillow over her head, she could still clearly understand what was being said.

"I am NOT drunk!" her mother's voice rang out.

"You are an alcoholic and you are a lousy wife and horrible mother!" yelled her father.

"Screw you!" her mother yelled back.

Then silence.

The silence of the dead rang in her ears. She couldn't feel anything.

She shot up in bed, sweat dripping from her brow.

"It's ok dear," the man beside her said, "It's a dream again."

She hated when he saw her like this. He valued her for her strength and her brain, and these nightmares made her feel weak and vulnerable.

"I'm ok," she answered, snuggling back in beside him, "I just wish these dreams would leave me alone."

He ran his hands down her brown curls. "No one is going to hurt you Sara," he promised in a soothing voice, "You are safe here with me."

She knew it was a promise he could not keep, but it sounded good to her. Especially this evening, it sounded really good.

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"Good," Tony said into his cellular phone, "Make sure it gets to me as soon as possible."

The voice on the other end asked a question.

"If it's there, you get the bonus, if not then the 20K is all."

He clicked the phone closed.

"Don't fuck with a Faisano!" he said angrily at the phone.

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Catherine was sitting in Jim Brass's office, updating him on the last case. One of the big casinos on the Strip had been robbed of $500,000.

Catherine explained that they had caught the thief by tracing the marked bills. One had turned up at the daycare center that the child of the thief went to.

"No one ever said criminals were smart," Brass said, sipping the last of his third coffee of the morning.

"You know, I'm afraid they might be getting smarter," Catherine answered, "I worry that we won't have the ability to keep up with everything as much as the crime rate is going up."

Jim looked down as his phone began to buzz.

"Hey, I gotta take this," he said, excusing himself and politely indicating that Catherine should leave his office.

"Sure Brass," she answered, "I'll catch up with you before the end of shift."

"Thanks kiddo."

He closed the glass door behind her and clicked the phone open.

"Hey Grissom, what's up?" he chuckled to himself at the double entendre. He knew full well what Grissom and his "friend" were up to and he was, to say the least, happy that his two favorite CSI's had finally come to terms with their feelings for each other.

"Jim," Grissom began, choosing to ignore the joke, "There was a double homicide here last night and I need to get some information."

"Fine thanks and you?" Brass said, half joking, half wanting to help his friend understand that he needed to develop more social skills.

"I'm sorry Jim," he answered, "We are doing fine here, but some people we met were murdered last night and I guess we are both just a little unnerved."

"Sorry to hear that, Gil," he said, changing to a much more sympathetic tone, "Is Sara ok?"

"She's fine," Grissom answered, "Sad, but fine."

"OK let me see what I can dig up and I'll call you back in about an hour."

"Sound good. Thanks again Jim."

He clicked the phone off and looked at his sleeping beauty. She had trouble sleeping most of the night and finally dozed off at around 2. She needed some sleep.

He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

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A/N Can forensics save the day? And what is Tony up to? We'll just have to see about that!


	6. Chapter 6

Just What I Needed

Chapter 6

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_I want to send a personal thank you to all of you who have persisted through the new sign on screen on to leave a review. I know its challenging, but your thoughts mean so much to me…it is a great gift and I thank you for your patiently working through the log in process._

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SMUT ALERT

When Sara awoke, she heard the shower running. It took her a moment to figure out where she was. She slipped out of bed and reached in to her bag to grab her hairbrush.

"Damn curls," she said to herself.

She brushed out the mess that had accumulated over the night and used a little bit of lotion on her dry skin.

She proceeded to slip open the bathroom door. The room was foggy from the hot water of the shower.

She cleared her throat and began to remove her pj's.

"Want some company?" she asked in the best sexy voice she could muster this early in the morning.

"Hey you!" he answered, "Absolutely, come on in."

She slipped in behind the shower curtain, immediately feeling the relaxation from the pulsing water.

"Did you sleep?" he asked.

"A little."

"Come over here and let me wash your back," he said. He used the small soap from the bathroom sink and ran it down her shoulders and around her neck. He gently massaged the tension from her neck and shoulders and once she seemed to be nicely relaxed, he moved down her back.

She turned to face him.

She raised her soaking wet arms up to encircle his neck. He brought his face down to hers and gently kissed her.

"I wish I could make all the bad things in your past go away," he said softly.

"Make love to me Gil," she whispered, "And it will be gone for now."

They stepped out of the shower and moved to the bed. They were both wet and slippery, but neither cared. She pushed the blankets to the end of the bed and pulled him down towards her.

He gently laid her down on the clean white sheets and used his index finger to draw a line from the middle of her breasts to the top of her belly button. He drew a circle around her belly button and then, as if he was aiming for it, he reached down and kissed her. He then drew a line up to her left breast, again circling it, and gently placing a kiss on it. She giggled a little as a response to his morning whiskers on her breast. He finally repeated the process with the right breast.

"Gil," she whispered, "That tickles!"

"Let me remedy that!" he answered.

He gently pulled her left nipple into his mouth, using his lips to roll it. Her body responded by pushing closer to him.

He felt his body responding too.

She reached down and found his quickly expanding erection and began to gently massage him. She was often surprised how easy it was to get him turned on. He was, after all, quite a bit older than she, but he didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up with her.

She reached over to the nightstand and took out a warming lotion that she had brought as a surprise. Without his knowledge, she placed a small amount in her hand and then, after letting it warm for a few seconds, began to massage the clear gel onto his skin.

He took a deep breath as the warm lotion touched his very sensitive skin.

"Uh, what are you doing to me?" he asked.

"Getting you all warmed up!" she answered.

"Uh, Sara, I was already kinda warmed up!" he joked.

While he enjoyed her ministrations, he began to kiss her neck. She loved it when the morning whiskers rubbed her gently skin. Her neck, her thighs, her tummy – anywhere he touched, she felt an electric charge go immediately to the area.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Have been since you joined me in the shower, dear," he smiled.

She suddenly became assertive and pushed him down on his back.

She straddled his body and used her strong arms to push his shoulders back down on the bed.

He looked up at her and smiled. He liked it when she took charge in the bedroom. She had taught him that it was not always the man's job to lead in sexual exploration. But he loved her so much that learning to share leadership in lovemaking was a great pleasure. So he let her lead.

He felt her lowering her warm body onto him and once the connection was made and she began to move slowly, he felt himself loosing control.

She began to rock slowly. She felt so light on top of him.

He opened his eyes and saw the angel he had almost not taken a chance on. Her beauty, her serene face, her soft frame and beautifully formed breasts moving in time with their breathing… he lost it.

She felt him starting to climax and she pushed just a little harder, just a little faster, until she began to orgasm along with him.

And when they were both spent, she lay down beside him and he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her head gently and wishing he never had to leave this moment.

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A sharp knock at the door woke them up.

"Police," a female voice said loudly, "Open the door please."

Grissom jumped out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around him and reaching back to put the blanket over Sara who had also been startled awake.

"Just a second," he answered, "I'm just putting some clothes on."

He pulled his sweatpants and t-shirt on and waved at Sara to stay put.

He opened the door to find a Sheriff and Deputy at the door.

"Good morning, Sheriff, how can I help you?" he asked.

"Are you Gil Grissom?" she asked.

"Yes, I am he," Grissom responded.

"We have some questions for you and your girlfriend regarding your visit to the Tanner's Antique Shop two days ago. Will you please dress and come to the police station?" she asked firmly but politely.

"There must be some misunderstanding," he said, realizing he had heard suspects say the same thing several times over the past ten years, "I work with the LVPD, let me get my badge for you."

"Two fingers sir," the deputy said as Grissom grabbed his pants to get his ID.

Grissom pulled his ID out and showed it to the pair at the door.

"And the woman?" she asked.

"She also works for the LVPD, we are together."

"Well, Mr Grissom, I'm Charlene Kennings, and I am the Sheriff."

"Nice to meet you Sheriff Kennings," Grissom said, sincerely.

"Charlie please," she said. "But we still need to chat."

"Can you give us a few minutes to dress and we can have coffee and discuss whatever you need to know."

"Sure," Charlie answered, "Let's meet at the restaurant in five minutes."

He agreed.

Charlie sent the deputy back to the station to continue the investigation.

Moments later, Grissom and Sara met her in the restaurant.

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"Does that handsome Mr. Stokes still work with the LVPD?" Charlie asked as they were seated in the café.

Sara grinned. Yes, Nick's reputation preceded him.

Sara reached out her hand and introduced herself to Charlie.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Sidle," Charlie said, "Are you in forensics too?"

"Yes, and please call me Sara."

"Thanks Sara," Charlie answered, "I love forensics, I wish I had a big enough budget to have all the gadgets you guys have down there in Vegas!"

"Well," Sara said looking at Grissom for confirmation, "We would be more than happy to help you with this case. We really liked Mrs. Turner when we met her."

"She was a doll," Charlie said, shaking her head sadly, "Can you tell me what you were doing at the shop?"

"We had gone in to buy a desk," Grissom answered, "We ended up buying a couple of other items."

"What did you buy?" Charlie asked.

"A desk that is to be shipped to me in Las Vegas and two pieces of jewelry."

"Well that matches with the records," Charlie said, putting two sugars into her coffee, "Did you notice anything unusual?"

"No," Grissom said, "Nothing unusual at all."

"How long are you here?" Charlie asked.

"We had planned to leave in the morning," Grissom said, "But if there is anything that we can do to help, we will stay longer."

"Well, give me a couple of hours to work through what we have so far and I'll let you know."

"Sara is great at solving puzzles," Grissom said, "If you need help, here's my card, just give me a call and we will be there."

"OK, Well you folks enjoy your breakfast and I'll take my coffee to go so you can have some peace."

Charlie left them at the table. She chatted with several of the staff members on the way out. Clearly she was well known by most of the people in the hotel.

"So," Sara said, "I guess we need to prepare the office for us not coming back as planned."

"Let's see if she needs us first and we can take it from there," Grissom answered, smiling and then added, "It wouldn't be so bad to have to stay here an extra day or two?"

"No," Sara answered, "Not too bad at all."

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The office was quiet since Stephanie had left town.

Giada decided that it was safe to make her call from her desk.

"Tell him it's Jade and I have information for him."

The woman on the other end of the call asked her to hold for a moment.

As she waited for the Secret Service Agent to come to the phone, she heard the door click open.

She turned to see who was there, she felt a burning sensation in her chest. She had no idea she had been shot. When the second bullet entered her brain, she felt nothing else.

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A/N Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm done with my class in 7 days, I will update more often once the class is done.

Thanks so much for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Just What I Needed

Chapter 7

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_In order to be compliant with the tightening of the regulations around here, I would like to acknowledge that I do not now, nor have I ever owned The Cars. I do own A CAR, but not THE Cars. I acknowledge that the song "Just What I Needed" prompted the title and I acknowledge that no money is changing hands in reference to this story. _

_I also acknowledge that my muse is a fickle bitch. Please bare with me while I whip her into shape!_

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"Mr. Grissom?" Charlie's voice sounded concerned from the other end of the phone, "I may need to take you up on that offer to help!"

"Sure, Charlie," Gil answered, "What can we do?"

"Can you and Miss Sara come down to the office and I'll bring you up to speed?"

"Sure," he confirmed, "We will be there shortly."

He turned to his bed-mate who was still basking in the last few moments of heated action. She wasn't a big fan of the beard, but the whiskers tickled certain intimate places as only whiskers can do.

"Well dear," he began, "It looks like the Sheriff may indeed need our assistance."

"Oh darn," she smiled, trying to straighten her hair out with her fingers and failing miserably, "I guess this means we have to stay for another day or two."

"Darn," he agreed as he reached over and kissed her on the forehead.

They dressed quickly, jeans and a t-shirt for Grissom, jeans and a conservative blouse for Sara. She added her necklace as a finishing touch.

When they arrived at the station, they found Charlie and two deputies up to their ears in antiques.

"Looks like you are in over your head!" Sara said, approaching the mound of evidence and rolling up her sleeves.

"You got that right!" Charlie answered, relieved to see the cavalry coming over the hill.

"So point us in the right direction and we will dig in."

"Well, actually, I have a specific job for you two if you don't mind?" she answered.

"Sure, shoot."

"Can you take a look at the inventory and tell me if you see anything missing from what you saw? Anything blatant?" she asked.

"Well, that may be a problem because we spent most of our time in the back of the store." Grissom answered.

"That actually might work better because that's where we found the bodies." Charlie shook her head, "Go in to the next evidence room, down the hall two on the right, and you will find what we collected from the back room along with the stills that were snapped at the scene – anything behind the curtained off area of the store – and see if you notice anything amiss."

Grissom and Sara headed down to the next evidence room. It was a large room, but it was well-filled with the items they recalled having seen in the store.

"This is almost too easy," Sara said, "The jewelry. The ones that she said had not been cataloged or appraised yet."

Charlie entered the room just in time to hear Sara's thoughts on what was missing.

"What jewelry?" she asked.

Sara described the lot of jewelry, the various types of necklaces, earrings, pins, rings, that she had seen. She estimated that there had been 100 pieces and that none of them appeared to be costume.

She touched her necklace as she was relating the treasure trove they had seen.

"Was that necklace part of the loot?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," Sara replied, hesitantly, realizing her tell might cost her the necklace.

"Well," Charlie asked, "Do you mind if we check that one out and I'll make sure to get it back to you."

"Sure, no problem," Sara answered, "Here you go."

"Deputy Brandon's father is an antique collector, he should be able to take a look at this and get it back to you very quickly!"

Charlie left the room and went to find Brandon.

"Well," said Sara, "I hope that comes back to me!"

"It will," Grissom assured her, "I believe she's a person of her word."

With that, Sara and Grissom continued to rummage through the evidence and work through the pictures.

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"One person, round trip to Las Vegas, open-ended return please," Tony told the woman behind the Delta Airlines ticket counter. He plunked down the $2000 along with his driver's license.

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"What the hell do you mean my office burned down?" Stephanie said incredulously.

Her boyfriend Phil was beside her in the driver's seat of the car.

"A body?" she continued, "Yes, my assistant Giada would have been the only one there!"

The sudden realization that Giada, her assistant and her friend was gone made her feel sick.

"No, she doesn't have a record," Stephanie said, "No, she lives with her husband," She gave the caller the phone number to reach Giada's husband Bobby. "Please call me if there is any further news."

"What happened?" Phil asked.

"That was the police, they said my office burned down and they found a body in the reception area. How the hell did something like that happen?"

"Sounds like Damien to me," Phil said, referring to Tony by his nickname.

"No way," she answered, "Not even he would sink so low!"

"Yeah, he kinda would," Phil answered, shaking his head.

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Within two hours, Brandon had reached his father Darryl and had him on the way in to the office to look at Sara's necklace.

Darryl had a jeweler's kit that looked a bit like a crime scene investigators kit. It had several tools, some liquids in bottles and a few other items that neither Sara nor Grissom recognized.

Without any hesitation, he announced that the prongs holding the stone had been pulled back recently. He gingerly pulled back the prongs again, catching the stone as it fell out of the setting.

Right under the stone sat a tiny microchip.

"Well," he said, "That's an interesting place to hide something!"

Charlie called down to Grissom and Sara. When they arrived back in her office, they were surprised to see Darryl with the necklace in two pieces.

"Look what was hiding in plain sight in your necklace," Charlie said to Sara.

"Wow."

"Now, the question is, how do you read one of these things?" Charlie asked no one in particular.

"We have a great technician in Vegas," Grissom offered, "If there is anything to be found, he will find it!"

"Let's get this to him then," Charlie said, "I'll get Deputy Larry to drive it down tonight. Can your tech be waiting for him?"

"Sure," Grissom said, "I'll call him right now." He pulled out his phone and began to dial Archie's number as he left the room.

"Um, Charlie," Sara said, pulling the Sheriff to the side, "One little favor?"

"Anything Miss Sara," Charlie answered.

"Well, we kind of haven't told anyone in Vegas that we are together."

"Oh, I see, well that's no problem, I haven't said anything to anyone about your being together, so I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Thanks," Sara answered, "We will tell them eventually, its just that, well, the whole thing is fairly new and we just want to make sure its going to work before we bring everyone else in."

"I got your back."

Sara was hopeful that she was indeed a person of her word.

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A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing… I hope you have enjoyed this installment!


	8. Chapter 8

Just What I Needed

Chapter 8

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_I acknowledge that both life and my muse are fickle bitches. Hopefully life will resume normalcy soon!_

A quick check of the weather revealed that the drive to Vegas would be very slow and a little treacherous due to the ongoing storms.

Grissom had offered to have Archie fly up with some equipment, and it seemed to make sense to get someone in as quickly as possible.

After bringing Ecklie up to speed on the situation, a helicopter was scheduled and Archie packed up his gear to help discover what information might be hidden on the microchip.

Charlie decided to take a break and offered to take her two new friends out for lunch. She was intrigued by the couple. They were clearly in love, but still had some awkward moments between them. She wanted to know their story.

At the diner on the edge of town, they sat down to coffee and some real diner food.

"So," Charlie began tentatively, "How did you two kids meet?"

"Well," Sara began, not used to talking too much about their relationship, but thoroughly enjoying thinking about it, "We met at school!"

Grissom chuckled.

"Well, not quite, dear," he said, "Some of us were in school."

It was Charlie's turn to chuckle.

"No, seriously, you two intrigue me, how did you meet?"

"Doctor Grissom was a lecturer at the University I attended. I enjoyed his lecture so much I tried to get him to go out for dinner with me."

"And you were successful?" Charlie asked.

"Well," Sara answered, "You could say that. He came for dinner and breakfast, and lunch."

"Sara," Grissom chided, "You are implying far too much!"

"Well then what really happened?" Charlie asked Grissom.

"I did go for dinner and we stayed up all night talking. I slept on the couch," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "I thought I was too old for her."

"Age is all in the mind," Charlie said, smiling broadly at the spark she saw between the two of them. "So then you were together forever?"

"No," Sara said, "He lived in Vegas and I lived in San Francisco. He was so awkward when he left, I only heard from him in email for the first little while. I thought maybe I had read him wrong."

"No," Grissom said, "You didn't!"

"Well, after about 3 months of emails, I got a voice mail one afternoon that said he was coming to the University and wanted to see me. I was so happy, I couldn't wait to see him."

"So he showed up and you rekindled your romance?" Charlie asked.

"No, not quite," Grissom said, shaking his head.

"Oh this is going to get good now isn't it?" Charlie asked.

"I showed up to the party he invited me to, only to find him on the arm of this blonde Professor Miller. I thought she was his date!"

"Oh no, you cad!" Charlie said to Grissom, jokingly.

"Well, I tried to high-tail it out of the party, but ended up bumping in to a cocktail waiter and drew so much attention to myself that the whole room knew I was there!"

"Did you go rescue her?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," Grissom said, "She looked so forlorn, wearing a beautiful blue dress, her hair up, and completely soaked in champagne."

"I tried to play it off," Sara said, "But I failed."

As they enjoyed the rest of their meal, Sara and Grissom took turns describing their on again, off again affair and how they had taken so long to finally be on the same page at the same time.

"But I'm not letting her go now."

"You kids are perfect together. I wish you all the best in your relationship. You only get one soul-mate and it seems that you two have found yours!"

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Tony thought he had come into Las Vegas quietly, but he had not noticed the Secret Service agent who had been tailing him since he left his apartment.

The rental car made a quick exit from McCarran airport and headed north. He didn't need GPS. He'd made this trip so many times, he was sure he could do the drive in his sleep.

All of his plans were coming together. Giada was gone, no one else could tell his secret. As long as he got the chip, he would be in the clear.

He should have checked the weather first.

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The chopper landed in the field behind the sheriff's station. Archie stepped out and grabbed the cases that were being handed to him by the blonde man in the back seat.

"Thanks Greg," Archie said as the last box was passed out to him, "I don't know how I could have done this without you!"

"No worries!" Greg Sanders answered, "I needed to get away anyhow."

"Well, you know a lot about this stuff too, so I guess you were the best choice."

"Let's solve this crime," Greg said, excited to be out of Vegas and anticipating seeing Sara. He was surprised to hear that she was here already, but he realized that she was Grissom's favorite and knew she would have been the first one that he would have called in for help.

Archie noticed Greg cranking his neck around trying to look in the windows of the brick building.

"What are you looking for?" Archie asked.

"Oh, I'm just trying to see if Sara is around," he answered, trying to be nonchalant.

"Give it up dude," Archie laughed, "You just aren't her type!"

"Hey now," Greg answered, "I'm just trying to find my friend."

They packed up the gear and headed in to the building.

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Archie and Greg quickly set up their equipment in an evidence room and found Darryl.

The three young men returned to the room and Darryl asked if he could watch.

They took the chip and placed it in the specialized scanner, then began the process of waiting for it to download.

Archie excused himself to use the restroom while they waited.

"So," Greg asked Darryl, "Have you seen a pretty brunette hanging around?"

"Oh you mean Dr. Grissom's girlfriend Sara?" Darryl asked innocently.

"Um, yeah," Greg answered, momentarily stunned by the revelation, "Dr Grissom's girlfriend." His heart sank.

"Oh yeah, they went to lunch with Sheriff Charlie, they will be back shortly."

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Archie walked back into the room a few minutes later.

"What's the matter bro? You look like you just lost your best friend."

"Ah, no, just deep in thought," Greg answered.

"Looks like we have a winner!" Archie said, changing the subject, "Check out that file!"

"Let's call Grissom and get him back over here," Greg said, not knowing quite what he was looking at.

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Upon arrival back at the station, Grissom and Sara immediately noticed that the chopper had arrived.

"Oh good!" Sara said, "Archie is here, let's get to work."

That's Sara, Grissom thought, always wanting to solve the case.

They entered the office and asked the receptionist where the technician had set up. She told them where to find him.

They strolled back to the evidence room, and just as they got to the door Grissom's phone started ringing.

"It's Greg," he said, "Grissom," he answered the phone.

As they stepped through the door, they saw Archie and Greg with their faces up against a computer screen trying to make sense of a document.

Sara, one step behind Grissom, came through the door next and stopped dead seeing Greg beside Archie.

"Uh," she stammered, "Hi guys."

"Hello you!" Greg said, giving Sara a funny look.

I'm so busted, she thought, so busted.

"Did you find something?" Grissom asked.

"Yes," Archie answered, trying to ignore the heavy stare going on between Greg and Sara, "But we are not sure what it is!"

"Well, let's take a closer look then," Grissom said as he approached the screen.

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Charlie broke the silence in the room as she entered.

"Well boys," she announced, "I hope you brought your jammies, cause you are going to be stuck here for the night."

Greg and Archie looked puzzled.

"Big storms in the area," Charlie enlightened them, "Small aircraft are grounded for now. You'd be best to wait until morning."

Good, thought Greg, now I'm going to get to the bottom of this!

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A/N OK this is going to be coming to an end in about three chapters. Look for the answers to unfold for you! And how is Greg going to use this information? Sounds like he might be holding ALL the cards!


	9. Chapter 9

Just What I Needed

Chapter 9

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_A/N Ahhh Gregg-o. How I love him!_

Greg stopped Sara as she was leaving the bathroom.

"Greg," she said, surprised by him being there, "Why are you stalking me?"

Yah, she knew already, but just to keep up appearances, she figured she'd ask.

"You know why I am stalking you!" he replied, knowing full well she was going to play innocent and he was going to have to drag the truth out of her. "Well, I was actually looking to speak to Dr. Grissom's girlfriend."

She cleared her throat. Oh yah, busted.

"I have NO idea who you are talking about!" she protested.

"Well, let's just say that Deputy Dog over there told me that the tall pretty brunette was Grissom's girlfriend."

"Well, he was mistaken," she replied, trying to move around Greg and back to the lab.

"No way, Missy," Greg placed himself directly in her path again, "You are going to fess up this time."

"Greg," Sara answered, looking at him directly in the eyes, with the most serious face she could manage, "I can't have this conversation with you right now, but I promise, I will tell you everything later."

"I trust you, I shouldn't but I do," Greg answered, kissing her on the cheek, "But he'd better not hurt you or he will have to deal with the wrath of Greg-o!"

"He won't," she answered, flashing Greg the most beautiful smile he had seen from her in quite a while, "He won't."

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They entered the labroom to see three heads looking at the screen and deep in conversation.

Charlie was holding a weathered folder, looking back and forth between the screen and the folder and pointing out items to Grissom and Archie.

"What did we miss?" Sara asked, taking her position standing next to Grissom.

"Well, this is a birth certificate," Charlie said, "And its for a child named Nicholas Faisano."

"Who is that?" Greg asked.

"Well," Charlie said, looking puzzled, "I'm not sure. I know who Stephanie and Tony Faisano are. Tony has been in trouble in this area and has quite a rap sheet."

"And Stephanie?" Sara asked.

"She's his sister. But here's the thing, the estate that the Tanner's had recently bought the loot from was the Faisano estate."

"She told us it was Vinnie Faisano, I think," Sara said, feeling her brain starting to process the information.

"So," Archie asked, "Who is Nick Faisano?"

"Well he's not in the file, so I'm not sure. Can we google him?" Charlie asked.

Archie quickly pulled up a search engine and began to search for Nick Faisano. But he could find no one who appeared to have ties to the Faisano family currently under investigation.

"Wait," Archie called out, "How about this Robert Merritt? He's associated with Giada Merritt, who is listed as the contact for Stephanie Faisano."

"Hold on," Charlie said, "I think we have a Robert Merritt in custody."

"I think we may have a connection!" Greg said.

"Well know, let's see what Mr. Merritt has to say for himself!" Charlie said as she walked out the door and headed towards lock up.

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Sara had feigned the need to step out to get something from the car. She gave Grissom a raised eyebrow that said "Come hither". He followed her moments later.

"What's up?" he asked, being careful not to get so close as to arouse curiosity from Archie or Greg.

"Greg," she replied, "He knows."

"What?" Grissom responded, "How would he know?"

"One of the deputies referred to me as your girlfriend," Sara answered, grimacing.

"Well," Grissom answered, "That's unexpected."

"Gil," Sara said, "I'm going to come clean with him. He's my best friend and we can trust him. You trust Doc Robbins, you trust Jim, and I trust Greg."

"And I trust you," he whispered in his ear, "Intimately."

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Sheriff Charlie had Bobby Merritt in the interrogation room. He wasn't saying too much.

A knock at the door interrupted the silence.

Charlie stood and stepped out the door, closing it loudly behind her.

The deputy had news that might help change the subject.

"Who?" Charlie asked.

"Tony Faisano."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yup."

Charlie stepped into the observation room to find Grissom and Sara deep in conversation.

"Well," she said, "No thanks to the chucklehead through there, I believe we may have a lead."

"What?" Sara asked.

"Tony Faisano is in the local hospital." Charlie informed them. "He was in a car accident, apparently on the way to his father's estate."

"Well," Grissom answered, "I think Sara and I will visit the hospital and see what he knows."

"Good plan, let me give you my cell phone number. Take my car and be careful driving because the weather is still pretty bad."

She handed the keys to the car to Grissom, who then handed them to Sara.

"She drives."

"Good girl!" Charlie said to Sara. She recognized a woman after her own heart. Take charge, don't be dominated by a man, don't let anyone boss you around.

Sara took Charlie's number and gave her both hers and Grissom's.

"Can you have someone find a room for Greg and Archie?" Grissom asked.

"Sure thing," Charlie answered, "But too bad it wasn't Mr. Stokes who showed up, he could have stayed with me!"

They laughed together as they walked out the door.

Clearly Nick had made quite and impression on Charlie!

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Grissom reviewed the file as they braved the storms and drove to the hospital.

"It looks like this guy is a real psycho!" he told Sara as she did her best to avoid the huge puddles of standing water.

"Like what?" she asked, not paying much attention to anything but the road.

"He's got a rap sheet a mile long and it looks like he doesn't care who he hurts!" Grissom answered.

They swerved to avoid another major water run-off and almost ended up in the ditch.

"Did you want me to drive dear?" Grissom asked.

"No, no, I'm fine." Sara's heart was pounding. The driving was really bad. The outskirts of Vegas were like this in the torrential rain, but she could usually avoid being outside the city when the weather turned bad. In the desert, the rain would sometimes cause run off onto the roads, even washing parts of the road out, when the rain hit the barren ground.

Sara's phone began to ring, she reached into her pocket and handed it to Grissom.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Grissom?" Greg asked, not really surprised to find Grissom answering Sara's phone.

"Yes Greg," Grissom answered, "What's up?"

"We have another Faisano in town!" Greg said, "Man there are a lot of these people!"

"Is it the sister?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, Charlie said it was Stephanie Faisano, and she's at the police station demanding to know where the rest of her father's estate is," Greg explained.

"Does she know her brother is in the hospital?" Grissom asked.

"I'm not sure," Greg answered.

"Let Sheriff Charlie know we'd prefer if she didn't say anything until we get a chance to question him." Grissom instructed.

"You got it."

With that, Sara hit a patch of water that she couldn't maneuver and the car began to slide. As the car entered the ditch, Grissom lost hold of the phone and, as it fell to the floor of the sedan, he felt his head hit the dashboard.

"Grissom? Griss? What's going on?" said Greg to no one as the loud crunching noise became silence.

"Shit," he yelled as he ran to find the Sheriff to get help.

A/N We are almost there! And we will end with some nice GSR smutty love. Within 's guidelines of course!


	10. Chapter 10

Just What I Needed

Chapter 10

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

I am very sorry for the long period away from writing. I have been fighting with some mental and physical issues that have kept me away from my love of writing and GSR. Let's get this story wrapped up and then we can start a new journey!

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Greg approached the spot where a car apparently had gone off the road. He noted that there were several footprints that had not yet surrendered to the water that had been falling so heavily. Tire tracks around the area helped Greg relax. Clearly they had been helped by passers-by or maybe even some cops in the area or on patrol.

"But why hadn't they called?" Greg wondered aloud to himself.

He picked up his cell phone and looked at the signal strength. Zero bars. That would explain it.

He noticed a car pulling up behind him. The driver, a tall man with messy hair and a dark complexion, got out of the car.

"Nice," Greg thought to himself, "This is so not like Vegas, people actual stop and help strangers!"

The man approached "Hey Buddy," he said as he got closer, not seeming to be slowed down at all by the muddy shoulder of the road, "You need some help?"

"No, I'm fine," Greg replied, "I might need a push out of this mud though!"

"Sure, no problem," the man answered as he stood beside Greg.

Unfortunately, Greg did not see the crowbar that was concealed behind the friendly stranger's back.

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"Wake up you little shit!" the man yelled as Greg began to shake the cobwebs out of his head.

Last thing he remembered, Greg had been standing at the place where he believed Sara and Griss had gone off the road.

He heard the voice again, angry in his ear, and he tried to push the voice away. It was the same man who had stopped to "help" him.

"Man," Greg answered, "Please don't yell, I feel like I just got hit with a crowbar."

"You did, asshole," the angry voice answered.

As Greg's eyes began to clear, he saw the face of the very angry-looking swarthy man.

"I'm going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer me straight up, or I will begin taking your fingers one at a time."

The man held up a large, dirty looking knife. He seemed to be serious about his threat.

"Well, I can answer questions for you," Greg said, keeping his face straight, trying to not look frightened, "But I'm not sure what you needed to know that was so important that you needed to break my head open?" He rubbed his head trying to relieve the pain.

"What do you cops have?" he said, "What did you get from this house?"

Greg looked at him, confused. "I don't understand?"

The man came towards Greg, waving the knife menacingly. "Don't play dumb you little creep!" the man yelled.

"No, no," Greg answered quickly, "I'm not playing."

The man stopped, looking at Greg with a confused look. "Aren't you a cop?" he asked, "You were driving a cop car?"

"No man," Greg answered, "I was trying to find my friends and the sheriff loaned me her car."

"Well, the sheriff doesn't loan her car to just anyone," the man answered, "You must be a cop!"

"Hold on," Greg answered, stopping the progression of the man who was coming towards him with a knife. "I am a crime scene investigator from Vegas – I'm just here to help process some evidence. I swear, I'm not a cop!"

"What evidence?" the man asked, beginning to back away from Greg and seeming to be much less agitated than he had been a few minutes before.

"The only evidence I know of is some jewelry and a couple pieces of furniture," Greg answered, stretching the truth just a little.

The man sat down. He brushed his greasy dark hair back over his head.

"Who are you?" Greg asked, "What are you trying to find?"

The man was up on his feet again in two seconds and this time, he advanced on Greg quickly. He grabbed Greg by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"Shut up," he yelled, "Shut up, shut up, shut up," he continued to yell in Greg's ear. His breath stunk of alcohol and his body reeked like he had not bathed in two weeks. "I need to think!"

He pushed Greg through the bathroom door and threw him to the ground. "Not a peep, do you hear me, not a peep from you or I will finish you off!" he yelled, locking the heavy wooden door from the outside with a metal bar.

"Shoulda stayed in Vegas," Greg muttered under his breath as he sat down on the commode. Determined to make the best of the bad situation, he began to focus on his surroundings.

He stood up and checked the door to see if he could open it. No luck.

Greg looked around and noticed that there was a very small window over the tub. No way he could get his body through there!

His attention to turned to the medicine cabinet. There was nothing interesting in the cabinet. He noted some Tylenol, which he picked up and checked the expiration date. He opted to take two for his headache. Maybe his head would clear a little. He bent over and stuck his head under the tap to get some water and noticed a key taped under the bottom of the cabinet.

He retrieved the key and tucked it into the front pocket of his jeans and began to look through the linen closet. Inside there was not much of any interest except a couple People magazines, a bunch of clean towels, and some toilet paper. Greg grabbed the towels and the magazines, setting the towels on the floor like a pillow, and settled down to read.

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"That Tony was a hard nut to crack," Grissom said as he and Sara pulled away from the hospital.

"He gave me the creeps," Sara answered, "I don't think we can trust him."

She pulled out onto the highway back to the police station. "You don't really believe that he is just here to go through the house for any of his father's personal belongings, do you?"

"Nope," Grissom answered. "He's looking for that necklace."

"My poor necklace," Sara said.

"We'll get it back," Grissom answered, "I promise."

"Let's get back and get the keys to the house. I think our answer is there," Sara announced after a few moments of silence.

"Agreed," the man sitting next to her answered. He reached out and took her hand. She looked over at him, smiled and stepped on the gas.

"I'll call Charlie and let her know we are on the way back before we loose the signal." Grissom said as he picked up his phone.

"Yeah, and make sure she got the message to Greg that we were ok," she requested.

"No problem," he said, squeezing her hand before letting go to make the call.

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"Hey, isn't that one of Charlie's police cruisers?" Sara asked as she approached the place where they had skidded off the road earlier that day.

"Yes," Grissom answered, "It appears to be from the county."

Sara pulled off the road and stopped. Removing their seatbelts, they exited the car and approached the vehicle. Sara drew her gun and approached first.

The vehicle was empty. She looked carefully at the dashboard and noticed a wallet that looked much like the one Greg carried.

"Griss," she said anxiously, "I think we have a problem!"

Grissom reached into the car and retrieved the wallet. He opened it and turned the driver's license to face Sara. It was Greg's.

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I hope Greg will be ok. He won't be as much fun without his fingers. And what exactly is the man looking for? We'll find out!


	11. Chapter 11

Just What I Needed

Chapter 11

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

Uh-oh. Greg's in trouble. I wonder what will happen next?

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After taking time to assess the room, Greg had made himself comfortable.

He took the towel bar off it's holder, stashing it under his leg. When the guy came back, Greg was prepared to make a run for it after smashing the guy's head. Until that time, he needed to make sure he was ready. If that meant rest, then rest it would be.

But first, People Magazine was calling his name. The issue that he browsed contained an article about how crime scenes on television were different from real crime scenes. He was very amused by the story.

Suddenly, he felt his coat begin to vibrate.

"Damn," he thought, "I've had my phone all this time?"

He pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

Greg whispered, "Sara," he questioned, "I'm being held hostage!"

"Where?" Sara asked.

"I don't know!" Greg answered. "But there's a guy outside the door who doesn't seem to be too happy with me breathing."

"Ok," Sara responded, tell me what you see, what you hear."

Quietly, Greg began to explain the layout of the room he had been in previously. He also described the bathroom where he currently sat.

"What about the window?" Sara asked.

"No, it's too small. There's no way I can get through it."

"No Greg," Sara sighed, thinking that he was never going to make it as a field agent, "Look through the window, tell me what you see." She thought about how many ways she was going to scold him about being more aware of his surroundings.

"Oh, ok yes let me look."

Greg got up from his nest and tried to quietly climb the side of the tub to access the window. He looked out.

"Sara, it's a huge place. I can see a pool, great trees and cactus, and a beat up Volvo in the drive way," he said quietly into the phone.

"Ok," Sara answered, "We are just pulling into the station and I will ping your phone."

"Please come get me," Greg whispered, "I need my fingers!"

Sara gave a puzzled look, not understanding that reference. She filed it away to ask him later.

"Is there any way of blocking the door so no one can get in?" Sara asked.

"No," Greg said, "I have a towel bar though!"

"Well," Sara answered, "A little protection is better than none. But it's best to not anger anyone if possible. Charm your way if you can."

"That I can do," Greg answered quietly, "Charming is my middle name."

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Grissom and Sara quickly climbed the stairs into the back door of the police station. They made their way to the office where Archie was still working to hack the chip.

"Archie," Grissom barked, "I need you to ping Greg's cell phone. Now!" He looked back at Sara, "Go find Charlie and bring her up to speed."

Sara left the room and headed towards Charlie's office near the front of the building.

Before she could reach the office, her phone was buzzing. "Sidle," she answered, not checking the caller id.

"We got him," Grissom said, "I'll get the car and pick you both up front."

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The voice was back.

"I got a geeky little guy who was driving a cop car locked up in the bathroom," he heard the voice say to another man.

The second voice replied, "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Cause I figured he could tell us where the information is."

"Could you be any more stupid Frank?" the new voice scolded. "What's going to happen when they realize that one of their own is missing?"

"How would they know where to find him?" Frank answered.

"They're cops for shit's sake, they always find each other," the new voice admonished. "What did you find out?"

"He says he's a scientist, he doesn't know anything about the stuff they found."

"We'll see about that!" the new voice said, sounding very ominous.

"What are you going to do?" Frank asked, "I already threatened to cut his fingers off, that didn't work!"

"The difference between you and me is that you threaten to do it – whereas I really will do it!"

"Man," Frank said, "I would have done it."

"Get a chair, some rope and then light that fireplace in the living room. I'll make the fucker talk," the angry voice directed.

Greg's stomach fell. He pulled out his phone and realized he had only one bar of service. He opted to send a text message. "Please hurry, there's another man here who seems to want me dead."

This was not good!

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Stephanie Faisano and her boyfriend Phil had checked in to a luxury hotel a few blocks from the police station. While the area was very secluded from the big cities, the rock formations and dunes were well known to draw people who had a lot of time and money on their hands. The hotel was often booked up, but there was always room for a Faisano.

Once they had washed up and had a bottle of nice red wine delivered to the room, the couple sat down to assess what their next steps would be.

Clearly, the police were not going to relinquish the jewelry that Tony had been so anxious to retrieve.

"We could break in to the police station," Phil suggested.

"God Phil," Stephanie replied, "Are you as dumb as my stupid goombah brother?"

"Why would you call me stupid?" he asked, looking truly hurt by her comment.

"Ok Phil," she said, looking over at her partner of 10 years, "I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated and tired. We've been travelling for what seems like days now. Let's take a nap, maybe two hours, and then we should be able to figure out what to do next."

Phil agreed and he walked over to the oversized bed with luxury cotton sheets, pulled back the comforter and, when Stephanie climbed into the bed, he tucked the blankets around her. He kissed her on the cheek and walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in.

"We'll figure it out Steph," he said consolingly.

"I know," she answered, "Damien cannot outsmart the two of us!"

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Little did anyone know, Bobby Merrit had also arrived in town. Unlike Stephanie, he stayed in the Motel 6 directly across from the police station.

Bobby, Giada's husband, knew that Tony Faisano had been trying to ruin Stephanie's life for years. When he discovered that Giada had been killed in an arson fire at Stephanie's office, he was sure that Tony had been involved somehow. He knew that Giada had made some travel plans for Steph to go to Nevada, and he was pretty sure that her evil brother would be not too far behind. On a hunch, he booked a flight and, as luck would have it, ended up on the same flight as Tony. All he had to do was follow.

Unfortunately, when Tony skidded off the road and ended up in the hospital, he had to guess which way Tony had been headed.

After viewing the map, it became a no-brainer. He was headed to Mt. Zion to the family's homestead.

Homestead, he chuckled to himself, might as well call it a castle! Must be nice. Life of luxury. And if Tony was involved in his precious Jade's death, Bobby knew he could make that house his own.

If only he had not gotten busted for speeding. It would have been a perfect plan!

Bobby dropped over to the 7-11 and purchased a six pack of Milwaukee's Best, three packs of Marlboros and an assortment of beef jerky, Doritos and snack crackers. He also bought the local newspaper so he could check what was happening in the local news.

He placed his purchases on the counter, and took two 20's out of his wallet to pay the tab.

"So," he said to the older lady behind the counter, "What's new?"

The lady with a name-tag saying that her name was Marge, said "Nothing's ever new around here!"

"Well," he paused, glancing down at the name-tag, "Marge, my friend grew up here, I was wondering if there was any news from the family since her dad passed away."

"Depends," Marge answered, counting the change into his hand, "Who is your friend?"

"Stephanie Faisano."

She stopped dead. "You know Stephie?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bobby answered, "We went to school together."

"Oh," Marge said as she finished counting, "You one of those fancy shmancy lawyers too?"

"No," Bobby laughed, "High school, not college. I'm a bartender."

"Well, you know her fathered died right? And really the only news was that a lot of the furniture and other estate items were taken out of the house to sell."

"They needed the money?" Bobby asked as he stuck the change back in to his wallet.

"Nah," Marge answered, "I'm sure your friend just wanted to get rid of that stuff. You know she and her mother were never that close. I'm sure she just wanted to get rid of it."

"Well, you know how those rich folks are," Bobby answered, trying to build a bond with Marge, "They never really appreciate anything!"

"So true," Marge answered, "But did you hear that the couple that was selling the house contents got killed?"

"What?" Bobby answered, seriously surprised by this information.

"Yeah," she said, "The shop owners got killed and the police are trying to figure out what happened and if anything was missing!"

"Wow," he answered, "Well thanks for the information, Marge, I'm going to go see what time I can book a ride up into the canyon."

"Well be safe, and do have fun!" Marge responded as Bobby left the store.

I will be safe, he said to himself, but I can't promise the same for Tony.

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The story is coming to an end in two or three chapters. I hope you are enjoying! And I promise to wrap everything up with some good old GSR Romance!


	12. Chapter 12

Just What I Needed

Chapter 12

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

And now to bring this to an end – this chapter and one more! And don't forget, please leave me a review… we writers live for our reviews!

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"Grissom," Archie said excitedly to the voice mail recording. "Call me as soon as you get this, we have an answer!"

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"OK Let's find the key and then get the hell out of here," the mean voice said.

"What about the dude in the bathroom?" the softer voice replied.

"Look, I don't give a rats ass about him. I ain't killing a cop if I can avoid it, I don't like needles!"

"But he's seen my face!" soft voice said, "And since I killed those two idiots in the store, he's going to be able to turn me in!"

"Frank!" the meaner voice said, "He doesn't know who killed the store owners, all he knows is that you grabbed him. Unless you told him?"

"Nah, I'm not that stupid," Frank answered. "But Tony, what about the fire?"

"Well," Tony responded, "If the building burns down with a cop in it, that's not exactly killing a cop now is it?" he sneered, "I've got the safe, now help me find that key!"

Greg, listening through the door, smiled and thought to himself, "If I can just get out of here, I've got the key!"

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"Grissom, get that phone," Sara demanded as she listened to Gil's cell phone beeping that he had a voice mail. "Maybe its Greg," she added hoping he had found a way out.

Grissom picked up the phone and accessed the voice mail.

"Archie says they have something," Grissom stated, "Charlie how long until we get to the house?"

"About 5 minutes at this speed," Charlie answered.

Grissom dialed Archie back. "It's Grissom, what do you have?"

"Grissom," Archie said excitedly, "We broke the code, I know what the imbedded file contains."

"I'm going to put you on the speaker, one second." He placed the call on the speaker and turned up the volume. "Go ahead Archie," he instructed.

Archie's voice resonated in the vehicle. "When we got the file from under the setting of the stone, we found a family tree for the Faisano family. While we couldn't initially figure out what the big secret was, after cross referencing, we determined that Nicholas Faisano is the illegitimate child of Vinnie Faisano, the man who owned the house where Greg is currently being held."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "His daughter is the witch in who was in the office trying to get back her precious jewelry and her brother Tony was the hood you found in the hospital."

"Nice family," Sara quipped.

"But that's not it…" Archie continued, "There is a file inside that house – it's in the master bedroom, under the bed with a key hidden somewhere on the first floor – that contains the birth records for Nicholas."

"Well that doesn't seem like it should be such a big secret?" Sara asked.

"Second file," Archie answered. "There is a little complication. Nicholas is probably not aware that he is a Faisano. His mother died, actually was killed, and Faisano didn't want his wife to find out about the baby. So he paid to have the child adopted, paid for his expenses, including an Ivy League college."

"Apparently," Archie continued, "The identity of Nicholas is something that everyone is looking for. The FBI is also looking into this matter due to the death of the baby's mother. They believe Vinnie had her killed. Maybe part of a large conspiracy? But the whole story rides on who is the child and, if they are indeed the illegitimate son of Vinnie, he could be heir to one-third of the Faisano fortune."

"Ouch," Charlie said, "That's a lot of money! No wonder the brother and sister are highly motivated to find this file."

"Archie," Grissom interjected, "We are at the house, is there anything else we should know?"

"Not now, but I'll keep looking."

"We will check back in with you shortly," Grissom said, terminating the call.

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Sara picked up her phone to text Greg. The message read: "We are here. Hang tight."

Ten seconds later, she received a reply: "Waiting with a key."

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The scary voice man, Tony, opened the door and told Greg to stand up. Once up, Greg was man-handled into the living room and forced to sit in a hard-backed chair.

Tony looked at Greg, took a drag on a cigarette that had been smoldering in an ashtray on the table beside them, and blew a long billow of smoke into Greg's face.

Greg coughed.

"Ok Officer, I'm going to make this really easy for you," Tony snarled, "Either you tell us where the files are or I will make sure that pretty face is pretty fucked up."

"I'm not a cop!" Greg said seriously, "I'm a technician – I work in the lab!"

"Right," Tony responded, "I heard that already, but I'm not as gullible as Frankie over here."

And without warning, he delivered a punch to Greg's temple.

Smarting from the pain, Greg fought back the tears. None of his training ever prepared him for this.

"Come on Sara," Greg thought, "Please get in here."

"Now, Officer, where is the file?" Tony growled.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Greg answered.

"Frankie, get that fire stoked up," Tony instructed his partner, and, turning his attention back to Greg, said "Last chance."

"I really don't know what you are talking about," Greg tried to be proactive, "Believe me, if I knew anything, I'd tell you. I'd rather not be charred."

"Smart ass!" Tony yelled, smacking Greg under the chin, sending Greg and the chair across the room.

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Charlie directed the police cruisers and the undercover detective cars to cover the back and the front of the house.

"Unarmed?" she asked Grissom and Sara.

Sara smiled at her, "Me, never; him" she indicated to Grissom, "Always."

Charlie looked at Grissom and told him to stay behind the officers.

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The back and front doors were breached by the police at the exact same moment.

Neither Frank nor Tony could get past the wall of police. Tony ran back to the living room to try to grab Greg as a shield against the police guns. However, since the chair was still off balance and partially under a table, he was unable to get purchase.

Frank readily gave up to the first officer through the back door and was singing about a deal before the handcuffs were on.

Charlie, first through the front door, drew her service revolver and, in a firm and deep voice, "Do it and it will be the last thing you do."

Knowing he was beaten, Tony raised his hands and dropped to his knees.

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Last chapter to follow! I hope you will stay with me and please, leave me a review!


	13. Chapter 13

Just What I Needed

Chapter 12

_I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

And now to bring the story to an end. To those who have stayed with me, thank you so much! I will publish a new tale – this time for Castle – soon. Thank you all so much for your kind words and comments. You only make me a better writer!

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The drive home was going to be long. It was always tough to put their personal time aside and go back to work where they could not reveal their affections.

"So," Grissom said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence, "Do you think that family will ever be right?"

"Well, maybe," Sara responded, "Perhaps now that Stephanie knows that she has a another brother, she will be able to put that joke of a brother behind her."

"It's amazing what some people will do for money. It's just a shame that some really nice people had to die for it."

"Yes, I agree," Sara said, "But she did say she was going to make a generous donation to the Tanner's family."

"That is very generous. I guess she had a better heart than we first thought."

"Yes," she agreed, "I guess you can't judge a book by its cover!"

He looked at her with his sideways Grissom look.

She smiled. "No, I never judged you by your cover."

"Thanks goodness," he answered. "Otherwise we would never have gotten to this point!"

"Gil," she said, smiling because he had successfully brought her out of her funk, "Your cover is great!"

He reached over to hold her hand.

"You have to admit," he changed the subject, "Hiding the data on a chip under a stone in a necklace was brilliant."

"It was clever," she answered, "But I still have one question, "

"What's that dear?"

"Do you think that Faisano had his son's mother killed?" she asked.

"Well, I guess we will never know the answer to that. But the evidence seems to suggest that it is true."

"Good think Greg found that key, " Sara added, "Otherwise we would never have been able to tie all of those loose ends up so quickly."

"Yes," Grissom answered, "I was very proud of him."

"Me too!" Sara answered.

They passed a sign that said Las Vegas was only 30 miles away. Sara became sullen again.

"I love my job, Gil," she started, "You know I love what I do, but I hate that we have to stay apart while we are working."

"Move in with me Sara," he said, "We can be together and not have to worry about being secretive."

"No," she said, caressing his hand, "I can't do that Gil, at least not yet."

"Why?" he asked.

"You've been a bachelor for a long time," she answered, "And I've been on my own since I was very young."

"We can make it work." He answered squeezing her hand, "I'd give up anything to be with you."

She smiled.

"I love you," she said quietly, "I'm just not ready."

"Then I will wait for you as you patiently waited for me."

That sat in the silence, this time more comfortable than the last.

"You know," he said quietly, "I have an idea."

"What," she asked.

"I have a piece of property in the mountains that my Aunt Martha left me when she died."

"That's a nice gift."

"But what we can do is build a house up in the mountains over the city. With two offices so we each have our space."

"Gil," Sara answered, stunned by his offer, "Wow, that is great, but honestly I can't afford to build a house!"

"You can't, but I can," he continued, "Once it is built, I'll sell the condo and you can put what you pay for rent towards the mortgage. That way we will both own it. It will be ours."

"Yes," she said, "That would work beautifully!"

"Then it's settled. I'll find a contractor on Monday before I go to work." He smiled, happy that he had found a way to make her genuinely happy. It didn't happen as often as he wanted. He realized that he was part of the heartache she had experienced and wanted to make it right. She was the love of his life and her happiness meant the world to him.

"Can we build a pool?" she asked. "I've always wanted a pool."

"You can build whatever you'd like!" he responded, happy to have her onboard with his plan.

"How will we be able to keep our lives out of the office?" she suddenly realized that they might not be able to go through with this idea. "I really don't want Ecklie to find out and fire us both"

"Why would he find out?" Grissom asked, "Unless he was looking for something."

"I'll have to give an address for my file," she worried, "Someone will see it."

"Get a post office box," a voice from the backseat of the car, "For crying out loud, build a house, get a pool, and move in together already!"

Greg's head popped up over the back seat. He was smiling from ear to ear, happy that his best friend finally was going to have the one thing she wanted. The other man.

"Don't worry," he said, smiling from ear to ear, "Your secret is safe with me!" he paused "As long as I never have to dumpster dive again!"

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I hope you enjoyed the story. Remember, as long as we have fan fiction, GSR will live on forever!


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